Chapter 46: The Sky Guard is Never Steady (2)

That evening, the group entered an inn for dinner.

The rain had lessened, but it was still drizzling, so there weren't many customers in the inn.

Perhaps because of this,

when the group of 12 people entered the inn, even the owner came out to greet them warmly. The waiters arranged a table in the center for them.

As the ordered food was served, the two beggars were about to reach out hastily when a loud voice boomed.

"Not yet!"

It was Jin Jiezi, who elongated the end of his sentence.

Not only the beggars but everyone in the inn was startled and hesitated, and Song Hua even had a sudden spasm.

Xiao Tiankai asked,

"Grandpa Jin, are we supposed to pray before eating?"

Jin Jiezi smiled warmly at Xiao Tiankai.

"No, my beggar."

"Is that so?"

Called a beggar, Xiao Tiankai's eyes were filled only with curiosity. Jin Jiezi stroked his long beard and looked around at everyone.

"It seems everyone has forgotten why we are here. Who are we? We are the Sky Guard, protecting the Grand Prince of Tianhua Pavilion. Assassins don't care about means or methods, so how can we be sure there's no poison in this food?"

"Indeed, you are wise."

"I didn't think of that."

The Three Heroes Against Demons were impressed.

The Twin Heroes of Wushan also nodded silently.

At that moment, a woman's laughter broke out.

"Hehehe! There's no need for everyone to worry. I am an expert at detecting poison."

Miao Bingbing laughed and wore a proud expression.

She took out a silver object from her sleeve.

It was a pair of chopsticks.

The entire Sky Guard gasped in unison.

Silver is typically used to detect poison, as it turns black if there is any.

"Hehehe! Please wait a moment."

Miao Bingbing stabbed the well-seasoned pork with her chopsticks, brought it to her mouth, and swallowed it in one go without checking for any discoloration.

Is she confirming by eating it?

As everyone watched in confusion, Miao Bingbing's hands moved quickly.

They were so fast that her arms and hands were almost invisible, leaving only a blur. It was impossible to tell if the chopsticks had changed color.

What was clear was the rapidly decreasing amount of pork ribs.

Then,

the Sky Guard's faces changed.

Without a word, the Sky Guard stared at Miao Bingbing. They didn't waste time shouting. Whether someone shouted or not didn't matter; the meat was disappearing quickly. Everyone picked up their chopsticks and joined the hunt for ribs.

"Are you... not worried about the poison?"

Song Hua stammered.

The Sky Guard looked like they were possessed. No one, not even the two beggars, responded.

"Master Fan, there's no poison, so please eat with peace of mind."

After eating her fill, Miao Bingbing smiled warmly and even made a satisfied sound. The shared special dish on the table was already gone.

Hou Gong didn't respond.

Whether there was poison or not didn't matter.

He had taken the blood of the Hexagonal Net, so he shouldn't fear poison. Moreover, the Lingyao Grass had a general detoxifying effect, even on the poisons that the Hexagonal Net couldn't detect. He hadn't been concerned from the start, even when Jin Jiezi first mentioned it.

What did concern him was the inn.

Specifically, the customer.

A man in blue, sitting in the inner seat, was bothersome.

He had a plain, unremarkable face and didn't even glance their way. He had ordered noodles and was about to leave.

When Jin Jiezi shouted, the inn owner and waiters almost fell over, and other customers frowned, but the man in blue didn't even turn his head.

It seemed he was already familiar with Jin Jiezi.

And he was leaving first.

It wouldn't be strange if he was an assassin from the Wuji Assassins.

Jin Jiezi had been playing the flute, and the Three Heroes Against Demons had been making a lot of noise, so it was possible for someone to follow them.

As Hou Gong watched the man in blue leave, Miao Bingbing urged him.

"Master Fan, why are you still uneasy?"

"I am uneasy."

"Hehehe, you are cautious. You're different from what you look like. Look at my chopsticks. I picked up the food evenly, and they didn't change color."

"I'm not worried about the poison..."

"Is that so?"

"It seems something else has started."

Hou Gong glanced towards the window.

Five middle-aged men sitting by the window were standing up. They had expressionless faces and were all thin, with eyes as sharp as knives.

They were not related to the Wuji Assassins.

They had arrived earlier and were drinking lightly, but they seemed annoyed by the Sky Guard's commotion and had been giving them cold looks.

"Oh! What a surprise!"

Seeing the middle-aged men approach, Miao Bingbing pretended to be overly surprised. The atmosphere was tense, so the Sky Guard stopped eating and looked at them.

One of the middle-aged men smiled and said,

"You're causing a disturbance. Is the food good?"

Despite his smile, his voice was chilling.

Jin Jiezi's face hardened.

Then he stood up and shouted,

"You're speaking informally to a stranger!"

The Three Heroes Against Demons quickly tried to calm Jin Jiezi.

"Master, please hold back. Let us handle these rude people."

Then they stood up and pointed at the middle-aged men.

"Tsk tsk, how old are you to speak informally to a master?"

"You disrespectful brats."

"When did the martial world become so impolite?"

The Twin Heroes of Wushan tried to mediate.

"Three Heroes, please hold back. There's no need to use violence just because they are rude. We will handle them properly."

But Jin Jiezi wasn't about to back down.

"Get out of my way!"

Unable to contain his anger, Jin Jiezi shouted and overturned the table, spilling dishes and leftover food.

Hou Gong took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as he looked at the mess.

'I knew this would happen, these brats. We haven't even had a proper meal.'

Meanwhile, Jin Jiezi stepped on the broken dishes and glared at the middle-aged men.

"I'm sixty-two!"

"..."

The middle-aged men didn't respond.

They were more stunned than anything.

They hadn't expected him to say he was sixty-two. Who cares about age in the martial world?

- Is this what the martial world is like nowadays?

- How could it be?

They were so bewildered that they started exchanging private messages.

Their nicknames were the Five Evils of Yishan.

After being injured in a past incident, they had felt inadequate and spent years in seclusion, only to return to the martial world after a decade.

But something had changed in the martial world during their absence. They were a strange bunch. Honestly, age wasn't the issue in this atmosphere.

"The ghost who eats and dies is said to have a good complexion, but my generosity was wasted."

The first of the Five Evils of Yishan smiled and emitted a killing aura.

The aura of the Five Evils of Yishan was ominous, and Jin Jiezi's anger was growing, making the situation volatile.

Yang Xiao and Song Hua were already overwhelmed by the tension and had retreated behind the owner.

"How old are you, you didn't ask, did you?"

Jin Jiezi shouted loudly.

His sincerity about the importance of age made even the Sky Guard look bewildered.

The eyes of the Five Evils of Yishan narrowed.

The first of the Five Evils was sixty-three.

So he was one year older.

But he couldn't say that.

It would be ridiculous. The important thing was how to kill these people.

"Let's move to another place. Follow us."

"I won't go!"

Jin Jiezi shouted.

The eyes of the Five Evils of Yishan twisted.

Not only the Five Evils but also the Three Heroes Against Demons couldn't hold back their frustration.

"Master Jin, it's better to move to another place."

"That's right. If you don't want to, we will follow and deal with them."

"Yes, we will check their ages before killing them, so you don't need to worry, Master Jin."

Jin Jiezi glared at the Three Heroes Against Demons.

"Do you think I have no thoughts?"

"What? Do you have thoughts? I don't see any."

"What! What do you take me for? How old are you? You talk rudely to the Sky Guard, who respects the elderly!"

The situation escalated unexpectedly.

The Three Heroes Against Demons argued back, and the Five Evils of Yishan, who were originally the targets, became mere bystanders.

But they weren't just standing there.

'What? Jin Jiezi?'

The third of the Five Evils sent a private message.

- Big Brother, could this be the Jin Jiezi we know?

His expression was hidden, but his eyes showed confusion.

- It can't be Jin Jiezi. The Jin Jiezi I know is not a ruffian. He is known for his dignity and politeness.

- But...

Everyone's eyes were drawn